Happy Monday! 

This weekend was great! The weather on Saturday was perfect, and Tj and I had a lovely picnic in the park. We kept having to move our blanket around to stay in the shade because the sun would hit us and it was way too hot.

Today's post is kind of special. I first wrote this almost a year ago on December 6, 2017! I hadn't even started MeganAway yet, but the idea was there. I was getting frustrated looking for work and there are only so many hours a day you can job search without losing your mind. I would go for walks and try new recipes, but it was frustrating and I was getting down at my lack of progress. It had been much easier to find work when we moved to London. And then I started thinking of ideas for the blog, and I got really excited. I came up with a whole list of posts and just started writing them. Then I spent the next little while deciding if I wanted to actually do this, and figuring out website stuff. So by the time I set it up, it was the end of January and too late to write about getting in the holiday spirit. But here we ago, a year later, and it is applicable again (with some slight edits).

Enjoy :)

Christmas is usually my favourite time of year! When we lived in Toronto, I liked to set up my Christmas tree right after Remembrance Day. I try to buy presents all year long for the people I love and put them aside for Christmas. I LOVE finding the perfect gift for someone. My problem is usually when I buy something that I know they will love, I call them and say, "Omg I just bought you the best Christmas present. You're going to love it! It's a…" and I proceed to tell them what it is and ruin the surprise. I am really bad at keeping it a secret when I am really excited.

It's a little bit different when I am spending Christmas abroad though. That means my family and I usually skip out on presents. So I have to try a little bit harder to get in the Christmas spirit.

Here are some tricks I've been doing this year to get in a festive mood: 

Christmas Music. All the time.

That means at the gym, when I'm walking to the grocery store, when I'm cleaning the apartment. I have a Christmas playlist with all my favourite holiday songs. I like those versions, not other versions. Some of my favourites are All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey, The Chipmunk Song by Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer by The Irish Rovers. 

Sending Christmas Cards

Everyone loves getting mail that's not bills (I know I do). Usually, I try and find my Christmas Cards right after Christmas when they go on sale, but last year my mom gave me some really cute girly ones she picked up from Winners and I brought with me when I moved here. This year’s cards have an Australian theme.

Watching Christmas Movies

Thanks Netflix! This year I have watched The Princess Switch, A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding, and Christmas Wedding Planner. I love the really cheesy ones the best at this time of year haha. I also love some classics like Love Actually, The Santa Clause, and Home Alone 2 Lost in New Holiday. Thang's favourite is Family Man so we always watch that a few times.

Christmas Baking

I love baking and growing up I would watch my mom make about 20 recipes every Christmas and box them up to give out as gifts and bring to family events. I was only allowed to eat the burnt or broken pieces until after New Years. Last year my mom made my favourite Christmas recipe right before I moved to Melbourne so I had some to take with me. They did not last until Christmas though… they barely lasted the whole flight. They are called Chow Mein Macaroons! Let me know if you want me to share the recipe :) I will have to make them myself this year, but that means more for me haha.

Favourite Things Gift Exchange

Every year my girlfriends and I do a gift exchange of our favourite thing (budget is $10). So everyone gets everyone else's favourite thing! It was inspired by Oprah and it is a huge success every year. My gifts from my friends are some of my favourite presents I get every year and it's something we all look forward to all year long!  They actually did it this weekend, so I was able to Facetime them and say hello. Last year I was organised enough that I had all my presents wrapped and ready to go before I moved to Australia. This year, I sent some Australia Tim Tam cookies home with Tj when he went to Canada in October, so half of my gift was there. I ordered the other part online, and it didn't make it in time, so they will have to wait a bit longer for the other piece of the present. 

Hope this helps get you in the holiday spirit.

Have a great week :)